Engine mounts broke in 22ZX

[ltl_mac2000]

A few years ago the portion of the boat where the engine mounts are bolted to the hull collapsed in the middle of a run. At the time that I became stranded in the middle of the inlet I had no idea what had happened. After getting towed to a local marine mechanic and further examining the situation, we realized that the engine had actually dropped about 3" from where it should have been. The engine mounts broke through the hull and ended up causing the connection from the outdrive to the engine to be severed (i think that is called the Yoke). Not a my most fun day on the water!

After a ton of negotiations w/ Donzi, they finally reimbursed us for about 80% the cost of the entire rebuild (total price of job ended up running about $5000). When the mechanic who did the work pulled the engine, he found there were no reinforcements where the engine mounts are located. Donzi claimed this was due to the combination of a lack of quality assurance in the production line at the time the boat was made and the weight of the engine (502 Mag - not sure how that engine compares to other motors when comparing weight---any comments?).

The guy who did the work was named Scott (can't remember his last name or the name of the shop for the life of me- maybe some of you have had some experience with this shop). He was out of a shop in Atlantic City,NJ by the Inlet right accross the water from Trump Marina. He did an incredible job with the repair. He actually ended up fabricating custom stainless steel mounts to hold the engine. He reinforced the hull in the appropriate spots and it came out looking and riding great.

I am starting this thread to see if anyone else ever had a problem like this, and to give anyone else a heads up about what happened to me. Curious to hear your comments.

[gcarter]

Any pics?
Before and after?

[ltl_mac2000]

Knew that question was coming. It has been so long, I don't know where the pics are buried. I was looking for them earlier today. Donzi made us send a bunch to them. Next time I am on the boat, I will take some and post to this thread. Hopefully we'll get some sunshine this weekend!

Any pics?
Before and after?

[22billyzx]

what year is your zx....just curious....mine is a 99

[ltl_mac2000]

So is mine.
what year is your zx....just curious....mine is a 99

[ltl_mac2000]

Hey George,
These are the Pics of the reinforcements that were made to support the motor mounts.

Danny

[gcarter]

They certainly look substantial.
Were they previously bolted to the inside surface of the 'glass structure?

[ltl_mac2000]

Its been so long I can't really remember. I am pretty sure that where the stainless is, that is where the old mounts broke through the 'glass. The PVC plates in the new mounts are access panels to get to the other side of the bolts.

Maybe someone else will comment on where the other mounts used to be?

BTW...does anyone else get rust around the deck below the engine and on the mounts. This boat stays dry-docked, so the only water that gets in there is when I wash it down at the end of the day. I can't see any visible leaks but I feel like there is a lot of rust for not a lot of water.

[Moody Blu']

hey danny id love to meet up for ya once i get my new tank installed, maybe a drink at dutchmans and a fun run out in the ocean to the front of the shell to listen to some music from the band playing at the shell(dog voices)

[boldts]

Have an old friend who first owned a 22ZX. He has since moved up to a 26 and then now a 33ZX. His name is Brian Tuvell. Haven't talked to him in ages and haven't seen him here lately. Point being, he had a 350MAG in his ZX and had a problem with motor mounts in the boat also. It seems that when the boat was assembled, the lock tabs on the engine mounts were not bent over to stop the bolts from loosening. Of course after hearing of this on his boat, I checked my boat which was built back in the sixties. I never found any problems, but continued to do a yearly check of the engine mounting bolts. Not a bad habit to get into with any boat.

I do not know the details of who paid for what on Brian's fix. Maybe if you do a member search you can locate an e-mail for him. He has always enjoyed talking boats and I'm sure he would be glad to talk about his experiences with anyone from the boards.

[ltl_mac2000]

Hey Moody, what part of Jersey you talking. The furthest North that I go is Brigantine. Although it sounds like fun, I am not really sure if we are in the same vicinity. Let me know if you are familiar w/ the AC/Brigantine area, and how far that is from where you are talking. I am always looking for new places to hang and ride.
hey danny id love to meet up for ya once i get my new tank installed, maybe a drink at dutchmans and a fun run out in the ocean to the front of the shell to listen to some music from the band playing at the shell(dog voices)

[Moody Blu']

um, if your in the ocean in the ac inlet beach haven nj is a 20 minute ride at about 45mph avg then a nice 20 minute bay ride up to dutchmans, i promise if you go once you WILL go again...